Troy Field

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Let me just start by saying that this is probably going to be a long post and I apologize ahead of time for it being so. Thanks once again to everyone who is checking up on me and keeping in their prayers and thoughts...your support and friendship mean the entire world to me. OK. With that out of the way I'm not real sure where to start. I went to Dr. Moein on the 9th, and it went pretty well. I weighed in at 388.5!! I was pleased. According to Dr. Moein, I am still behind, although I did gain a few of those percentage points I was behind back this month. I set my next appoinmtment for 1 month, and I see him again on the 13th of August. I told him that I would commit to an hour a day in the pool just moving around and see if it would jumpstart the weight loss a little more. I guess we'll see if I lose more than my average of about 14-16 pounds a month. As far as school went, I nailed a 3.67 for the semester, which earned me a spot on the dean's list. I am appealing one of my grades, and if the appeal goes through, which I think it will since the teacher had my down for 2 zeroes that I had scores of 100 on, my GPA will go to like 3.95, and put me on the coveted President's List. That's the school update. Now for the pain update. The news is NOT good. I went and saw my PCP, and she sent me for a barrage of tests, which included an MRI on the knee and the back. An appointment is scheduled for an orthopedic surgeon on August 31st for the knee. I got a phone call from the doctors office last week and now I am scared half to death. My doc got the MRI results and they called and said I need to see a neurosurgeon ASAP for my back. Their idea of ASAP is September 6th. I am scared. I REALLY do not want to have back surgery because I have heard too many horror stories about the after effects of back surgery. I think I am going to have the results faxed to Dr. Moein and let him recommend a competent neurosurgeon that he trusts wholeheartedly. The knee continues to give me a fit, and I have fallen a few times because it's just about to give out. Not sure I can wait until the 31st of August. It's twice the normal size and hurts pretty much all of the time, even with the help of pain meds. I am sick and friggin tired of being in constant pain...something's got to give...and VERY soon. Well, that's my rant for the evening. Thanks for checking in on me as always. I'll post as soon as I hear any news...especially since this back and knee thing are pulling me out of school for the rest of this semester at least. Y'all keep on keepin' on.

Troy
(BigDaddy)

Hey Everybody,
I had a few miutes today, as I have been very busy wrapping up my first semester back at school. Got 2 more final exams left next week and I am done!!! I have 1 more week and a few days before my 6 month checkup, and I am hoping and praying I can hit 100 pounds gone since surgery. I know their numbers are a little off, but I still would love to be an "official" member of the Century club by the time July 9th rolls around. I got on the scale at the hospital the other day and liked to fell on the floor...it read 397!!! I haven't seen a number starting with a 3 since I was like 21 or something. 391 is not that far off if that scale was accurate. I sure as hell am hoping so. 6 pounds I think I can swing in a week or so. The exercise portion is not going well for me at all. I was told by everybody that with weight loss my knee and back would get better. They are NOT, they are getting worse. I stay in constant pain pretty much all the time and my back is literally killing me. The 10mg Percocets are not even touching this pain, and I hate taking them darn things. Me and my primary doc are going to have a looong talk come July 11th when I see her. I am going to ask her to send me to a pain management specialist to see what can be done for me, because I can't stand it anymore. And I sure as hell don't want to stay on narcotics any longer. I have been on them for about a year and a half, but I don not take them like I am supposed to. I only take 1 at night to help me get to sleep because I am hurting so bad. Here lately, I have been taking 1 during the day to help alleviate the back pain. Something has got to give here sooner or later. Well, enough of my rambling. I will post again when I see the surgeon on the 9th and the doc on the 11th and let you all know what's up. Y'all keep up the great work, and just keep on keeping on!! Thanks for checking in on me!!

Troy(BigDaddy)

Hi Everybody!!!!, 
I just thought I would take a few minutes since I had a few to spare and leave you all an update on me. I couldn't be any better at all. I'm midway through my first semester back at school and the grades are good. Blasted a 95% on a midterm yesterday, and was tickled pink!!! I stopped by a bariatric surgeon's office in my area today and politely asked to use the scale and they obliged. They have the exact same scale that my surgeon uses and it read 407!!! That's 9 pounds in 2 weeks!!!! According to my calculator that's an average of about .53 pounds gone per day!!! That I can handle. People are starting to notice the weight loss even at school. Sometimes I can see it and sometimes I can't. But one thing I can see is the simple fact that I HAVE A NECK NOW!!!!! NEVER HAD ONE OF THOSE BEFORE!!! So according to my calculations, that's 110 pounds gone since last year at this time and 84 gone since surgery, but you all know how onofficial the official surgery weight was. Incidently, I tried on a pair of 56 jeans that a buddy of mine gave me and they fit!!! They were just a lil snug, but I got them over my ass and zipped em up and they were on buddy!!!! So I'm just gonna keep on keepin' on with my bad self and I'll holler at y'all when I can. Jamie and the girls send their love as well. Peace and God Bless.

Troy...always gonna be BIG DADDY!!!!

I have been a VERY busy beaver as of late. I started back to school April 16, and have not had too much of a moment's rest since. I'll cut right to the chase since I'm sure many of you are wondering. As of Monday afternoon, I am down to 416. For those of you keeping track, that's 101 pounds since I started my journey, and 75 since surgery. I will be 4 months post-op tomorrow. Can I get a YEEEE_HAWWWWW!! I've lost 16.5 pounds in the last month and doc feels like the surgery might finally be kicking on.  He loosened the leash and I do not see him again until July. And I should see a number starting with a 3 then!!! Word cannot express how happy I am at this point. I have lost 25% of my excess, even though I should have lost about 40%...it's still coming off. I'll try to keep a more regular posting schedule, but with all the homework and school crap, it's very hard. I miss you guys terribly. Hope everyone is well. Jamie and I and the kids are great. Be well and God Bless!

Troy

OK.OK. I know. Many of you  are VERY mad at me for not posting recently and I'm sorry. Sometimes life just has a way of stepping in and taking over. Kids have been sick, Jamie's had strep, and I've been busier than a one-legged man in an azz-kicking contest. But anyway. I DO have an update for all my wonderful followers out there. I went and saw the surgeon last Tuesday. I stepped on the scale and weighed in at 457 pounds. I haven't seen a number like that in quite some time. I was a little disappointed, but for the most part, I was exstatic. That's 26 more pounds lost since my 1 week follow-up, and a total of 35 since surgery. Well, almost. Here's the kicker. They did not weigh me in before I had surgery and my pre-op weigh in was a month before surgery, and Christmas was in that time frame. I know for a fact that I was heavier than the 491 I weighed in at on Dec. 19th. I went to see my PCP on Dec. 27 and his scale weighed me in at 499. His scale is usually 3-4 pounds heavier than the surgeons. I saw my PCP on Thursday of last week and his scale weighed me in at 460, for a 39 pound loss since surgery. So I am going to call my official loss for my first month a 40 pound loss and be happy with it. People are starting to notice the loss, and making comments, and it feels good. According to the nurse at the surgeons office, I have lost 11% of my excess body weight already. COOL! The doc released to to start my exercise program and I will be joining the gym this week. I am averaging about a little more than a pound a day loss, and hopefully this will pick up a bit once I hit the gym. I was a little bummed because I wanted to weigh 450 by the time I weighed in, but I got to thinking about the big picture. Last summer, I weighed 517 pounds...I've lost 60 pounds since last summer!! The first time I saw my surgeon, I weighed 507.5...I've lost 50 pounds since I first saw him!!! And my weight is in the 450's so I really didn't miss my personal goal. My BMI is now down into the 50's somewhere. I have set another personal goal. I want to be at 100 pounds lost by the time I go back to the surgeon on April 9th. If I'm averaging a little more than a pound a day, it should be quite an attainable goal, but we'll see. I am getting stronger everyday, and feeling more full of life as each day passes.  Jamie is VERY proud of me and tells me every day how much she can see a difference in me, which really does make a difference, even if I can't see it.  Some clothes are starting to get big on me now, but I still can't see it. Oh well, it's coming off anyway. I'll post an update soon.

Troy

So, I'm 3 weeks and 2 days post-op now. Things are going relatively good for me at this point. It's been a VERY hectic week, so I'm trying to stay on task right now. I drink an 8oz protein shake in the morning when I get up. It's a pretty yummy way to start the day. As I said, it's been hectic since I last posted. Jamie's birthday was on Sunday, and mine was on Tuesday. We had a family party on Sunday for both of us. There was a really nice ice cream cake for us and everything. But I couldn't have ice cream cake, and my mother in law knew it. She hooked me up though. She made SF chocolate and vanilla pudding, swirled it and freezed it with a candle in it. IT WAS AWSOME!!!! Tasted just like ice cream!! So I'm guessing I will freezing pudding more often since I miss ice cream so much! I was able to graduate to purees on Wednesday, and my first pureed meal was 7 bean soup. It was quite tasty. A word to the wise for anyone on this journey, EAT SLOWLY!! No matter how hungry you are. I have had trouble with this, and have made myself miserable more than once. I'm doing average with my water intake. I could do better, and I'm really going to make an effort to do so. I always have something to drink right beside me, so I'm not dehydrated or anything, but I need to make sure I'm getting in what I'm supposed to be. We finally got about 4 inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, and boy was it pretty. It was a nice birthday gift from God! Speaking of gifts, I got some nice name brand clothes from JC Penney's for my birthday from the relatives. I have never worn ANYTHING from there and I'm excited to have something now. I still don't know how much weight I've lost, but people are starting to notice. Sunday at the party, her Grandfather said I looked like I had lost at least 30 or 40 pounds. God I hope so. That would be way too cool.!!! I'll be happy if I'm down to 450 or below when I go on the 13th, so here's to hoping! I have been doing pretty good with my walking. We went to the mall on Saturday and walked around. It was pretty cool. I'm starting to notice that  I have more energy and stuff, so I'm trying to be more active when I feel this energy. I'm planning on joining a local gym, so that'll help too. I'll post again when I have actual numbers to report after the visit on the 13th. Every day seems to get better! My insicions are healing nicely. But my abdomen is still all bruised up from the heparin shots 3 times a day. Hopefully next week's visit will put an end to those. I'm taking my calcium(crushed...yuck) and sublingual B-12 now. Along with my Flintstones chewables, the gall bladder medicine, and my blood pressure pill, it's quite a mouthfull...and quite nasty. And speaking of the gall bladder, I think I'm starting to have trouble with it. Time will tell though. I'll keep y'all posted after my next visit on the 13th. 

Hi all. I am just sitting here hoping and waiting for some snow. One of my very favorite parts of  wintertime is the snow. I love to sit and watch it snow. I think it is one of God's small little miracles. Each little snowflake is like a human being...no two are ever created exactly alike! Anyway, I am now officially two weeks post-op as of yesterday! Anyone who says that WLS is the easy way out of losing weight is a crazy fool! This has been far from easy. I thank God each and every day that passes that I have not  had any complications, and I pray each day that none come my way. I have found a protein powder that I actually like, a lot. It comes from Wal-Mart. It is chocolate flavor, and it mixes very well with the sugar-free Carnation Instant Breakfast! YUMMY!!! 1 pack of CIB and 1 scoop of this protein powder gives me 27g of protein...almost 1/2 of what I need in a day! And I am finding out very quickly that if I don't get my protein in daily, I get real tired and sluggish. I am finding out a lot of things very quickly with this surgery. Knock on wood, I have yet to actually throw up, but have come close a time or two from not measuring things out and overdoing it a little. If I have ANY advice to give someone regarding this surgery and what to do afterwards, it's measure EVERYTHING. My wife had a GREAT idea and went and bought me some of those little plastic 3oz. bathroom cups. They are wonderful. I put almost everything in them, and the portioning is almost perfect. I'm enjoying being able to have other things besides SF popsicles and broths, but I miss eating actual food. I have one more week of this full liquid diet and I can move on to pureed foods. I know it sounds and seems nasty to have everything looking like dog food, but at least it will be real food. My neighbor has a big pot of ham and bean soup waiting for me in her freezer, which I can't wait to get a hold of. Not only is this good stuff, but the protein factor will be a BIG plus for me. That and refried beans and cheese are my first two planned pureed meals. I hope once I get into purees, I can stay satisfied a little bit longer. Right now, if I eat 3-4oz. of pudding or Cream of Wheat, I am good to go for about 2 hours or so, and then I start feeling a little hungry. It's funny, because sometimes I feel hungry, and sometimes I don't. But I am right on plan with what my WLS book says, I should be taking in something of sustainance every 2-3 hours or so. My doc tells me I should be starting my multivitamins, my calcium, and my new gall bladder medicine today, so that's what I'll do. Thank God I only have 2 more weeks of heparin shots to deal with. At least I know now if I were ever to become diabetic, I could give myself my insulin. Having to take a needle 3 times a day really, really sucks, but it beats the hell out of getting a blood clot and dying!! As much as there is to do and keep track of and deal with after surgery, I'm so glad that I have someone in my life who loves me and who cares for me. Jamie. That's all I can say. Without her, none of this would have been possible for me. She has been my pillar of support, my shoulder to lean on, my nurse, my rock, and as always, my best friend. She keeps me honest in what I am eating(whether I am supposed to eat it or not), makes sure I take my medicine, makes sure I have everything I need, and just generally loves me. She draws up my needles everyday, and reminds me when it's time to take them. She has truly been a godsend!!! As I said before, had it not been for her, a whole lot of this would not even be possible for me!! She is my angel and the love of my life, and I am looking very forward to marrying her in September!! I could nat have asked for more, love and support from anyone as I have gotten from her. Thank you baby!!! I LOVE YOU JAMIE!!! I don't have any weight loss news to report, as I cannot find a scale to handle my weight. So y'all will have to wait just like me to find out how much I've lost!!!! 

Well, I had my 1 week check-up yesterday. It went very well. The Dr. was pleased with my progress. He also took that cursed drain out!!! THANK YOU!! He advised me that I need to keep doing what I'm doing, because the first 30 days after surgery are the most critical. Most post-op complications happen within the first 30 days. So, I'll continue to mind my P's and Q's, and do what I'm supposed to do. He allowed me to move to the next stage, which is full-liquid stage. I am loving my pudding!!! It fills my pouch quite nicely and I stay satisfied for quite some time afterwards. One of the hardest things to deal with early on is head hunger. Like when my family eats, my brain tells me I am hungry and I should be eating. If I stand back and think about it, I'm usually NOT hungry, I just think I am.  So I'll be doing the full-liquid thing for the next two weeks. I should be ok and shouldn't get too bored with it as I am allowed creamed soups, thinned out oatmeal and cream of wheat, and protein shakes. But so far, I have found that the pudding(fat-free, sugar-free of course) sits real well with me. So I guess by now y'all are wondering how much weight I lost the first week... well so am I. Here's the deal. On December 19 I weighed in at 491.8, which was up 5 pounds due to Thanksgiving, and the fact that I was doing a whole lot of "one last time arounds" with my favorite foods and restaurants. And I continued the one last time thing right up to surgery. I did do the pre-op diet somewhat, but wasn't exactly good. So I'm quite sure I had probably gained at least another 5 pounds. So when I weighed in yesterday, I weighed in at 483.0, which is an official 8.8 pound loss. So I am calling my first week weight loss a 9 pound loss. My doc told me not to worry about the numbers, because the weight would come off no matter what I did, so just focus on doing what I needed to do. So that's what I'm doing. Taking my heparin shots 3 times a day, enjoying my pudding, starting to walk more, and focusing on recovering and starting my new life. Many, many thanks to those who have either dropped me a line, or stopped by my surgery page to leave me a message of joy and wellness. I have been contacted by some very wonderful people, and I appreciate ALL of the support and prayers you have sent. THANK YOU ALL!!.  I'll be keeping you posted.
Troy

Surgery is done, and I am on my way to being the me I've always wanted to be!! I cannot believe I FINALLY made it. It was all pretty much a breeze. I'm not in too awful much pain, and other than some gas and mild diarrhea, I'm doing A-OK! I want to take a minute right now to let anyone know, anyone who might be sitting on the fence about this surgery to go and find a good surgeon and DO THIS!! Don't wait any longer. I have waited for this day for so long, and yes, I had doubts and was nervous, but it was really all for nothing. Surgery went off without a hitch and I am home and recovering well. The clear liquid diet is somewhat of a drag, but if you mix up the flavors, and get a good variety of what you are allowed to have, it's not so bad at all. I'm anxioulsy awaiting next week when I can move into full liquids and get some puddings, and protein shakes into the mix. I'm sure I'll probably get bored with that after 2 weeks, but right now, it sounds really good.  I'll keep enjoying my SF popsicles, and Jell-O, and crystal light drinks. It's a lot harder than it sounds to get in your required amount of fluid, but completely necessary to avoid dehydration. The pain is not even close to what I imagined. Don't get me wrong, I'm sore and I feel like I've been hit in the guts with a bat, but I guess each day will get better. I'm really looking forward to my new life and this weight loss journey. And what  a journey it is going to be. OH is an awesome source of support and information. If you are on the fence about this, find a friend, read some profiles, meet some people, and by all means ask some questions. There are a lot of great people here, who will help guide you on the path that is right for you. This is just as much of a tool as the WLS is, so use it to your advantage. All of this would not have been as easy had it not been for some of the people I met through OH. And I sincerely hope to get to meet and shake the hands of some of the ones who have been there for me since day 1. Please do not hesitate to message me, or drop by the Men's Forum and leave me a post there if you have ANY questions, or just want to get someone else's point of view. It WILL be worth your while. I promise you that. I'll keep everyone posted as I proceed on this journey and the pounds fall off.

Tick tock is about how I can sum it all up now!  1WEEK AND COUNTING!!!! By this time next week I will be at the hospital, in pre-op, probably nervous as all hell, and definitely ready to begin my new life. Next Wednesday is the first day of the rest of my life!! Everyone down at GBMC is so wonderful!! I cannot say enough good things about that place and the people there. I went and had my IVC filter placed yesterday. I got the permanent Trap-Ease model. The procedure itself was not all that bad. I didn't respond all that well to the sedation medication, so it was a lil rough for me in the fact that I felt some pain and a little bit of pressure, but not bad all in all. Last night was REALLY rough!! I was in a LOT of pain. Thank God I had pain medication, because they didn't give me anything for afterwards, and I damn sure needed it. Today, is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. When I went to bed last night, I was planning on taking a trip to the ER today if I was still in as much pain, but I woke up and it feels OK. I'm not pain free, but I'll definitely take this over what I had last night. I guess I'll make it. As far as everything else goes, I'm just following the plan and doing what  I need to do. Still haven't smoked since Dec. 16th. It's rough, but I KNOW for a fact that Dr. Moen will NOT do surgery if I smoke, so I guess if I want my surgery as bad as I say I do(and by now you should know that I do) I'll stay smoke-free. It's rough, and sometimes it helps to be around people who do smoke. Everyone is being so supportive. I've met a lot of great people from this site, and I'm getting new messages everyday from people I don't even know yet who read these pages and just drop a friendly line to say HI and best wishes. I just think that is the coolest thing in the world, and somewhat restores some of my faith in humanity. I'm going to make a generalized statement right now, and if I offend anyone...get over it. I think as a group, in general, fat people are more sensitive, and more tuned into the feelings of other people because they have faced adversity and lived with it. And they literally have "walked a mile in someone else's shoes"  Big people are one of the few "groups" of people who are discriminated against who experience the exact same kind of torture and pain, and negativity no matter who its from or where they go. Here's what I mean...no matter what part of the country I may travel to, neither my fat rear-end nor anyone else who struggles with obesity is squeezing into a booth at McDonalds. No matter what airline we use, we will have to use an extender, or buy an extra seat. We're always going to get stared at, made fun of, and laughed at. That's just the way it is. No variance.  At least other groups have some sort of variance. Take black people for instance. Some are very easily offended and ready to fight if I even say the word nigger, others could care less, and in some parts of this country it is still widely used(unfortunately). The nature of the offense is going to vary from one black person to another. That's not true with fat people. Yes some may say "I'm not fat, I'm big-boned", or "I'm well-fed"(That was one of my favorites), or "I'm not fat, I'm pleasingly plump". BULLCRAP...WE"RE FAT!!! And the sooner we realize that fact and get motivated enough to get the knowledge and power to gain this WLS "tool", the better off we're going to be. And WLS is like any other tool, if you misuse it, you will get hurt. If you mistreat and misuse WLS, you will be fat again...guaranteed. Well, I'm done ranting, and I'll get off my soapbox now. Thanks to all who have stopped by and welcome to any new comers. Feel free to say hi or send me a what's up!

Troy